Our successes

You’ve helped expand a national park in Colombia

Your support has helped Indigenous communities in Colombia increase the size of a national park, bringing extra protection for their territories and the area’s unique species

27 October 2023

Towering above the beautiful beaches of Colombia’s Caribbean coast, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta contains Colombia’s two highest peaks.

Its varied habitats, from coastal forests to snowy peaks, are home to a staggering range of wildlife, including jaguars, peccaries, tapirs, howler monkeys and around 70 species of birds and 17 amphibians that don’t live anywhere else.

Now a further 172,854 hectares have been added to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Natural Park, increasing the area under protection by nearly 45%.

The Arhuaco and Kogui peoples led efforts to expand the park, with support from WWF-Colombia and other partners. Four Indigenous communities – Arhuaco, Kogui, Wiwa and Kankuamo – live within the area that they know as the ‘Heart of the World’.

As well as benefiting biodiversity and preventing deforestation, the increased protection will help to safeguard the culture, ancestral knowledge and livelihoods of the Indigenous communities who’ve looked after the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta for generations.

**The Santa Marta parakeet is only found in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, but habitat loss has seen its numbers plummet. The expansion of the national park will safeguard more land**
© GETTY

Colombia is one of the most important countries on Earth for biodiversity. It’s home to around 10% of all known species, including the greatest variety of birds on the planet.

The Sierra Nevada National Natural Park is already considered the most significant protected area in the world for endemic species – those found nowhere else on the planet.

It’s recognised as a vital site for threatened amphibians, including five unique species of colourful harlequin toads. It also overlaps with five Key Biodiversity Areas – sites of global importance for wildlife conservation and for the planet’s overall health.

Despite its importance for nature and local communities, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is under threat. Agriculture, logging, road building, infrastructure development and oil and coal mining are all putting pressure on natural habitats in the region, so greater protection is urgently needed.

With your support, we’ve been helping to expand and strengthen Colombia’s network of protected areas, including the Sierra Nevada National Natural Park.

Working with the Colombian government and many other partners, we’ve helped develop a large-scale programme called Heritage Colombia, which has secured around £200 million in funding over the next 10 years to protect the future of 320,000 sq km of land and sea across the country.